PHOENIX – In a case of “meet the new boss, same as the old boss,” the Phoenix City Council rehired Ed Zuercher to manage Arizona’s largest city on Wednesday.

Zuercher previously served as Phoenix city manager for eight years before retiring from the powerful job in 2021. His retirement lasted four years.

His replacement, Jeff Barton, announced last month that he will be stepping down. Zuercher will resume his Phoenix city manager duties on Nov. 17.

“It’s rare to have your dream job once in a lifetime, let alone twice, and I am incredibly lucky to get that chance,” Zuercher said in a press release.

He is currently serving as executive director of the Maricopa Association of Governments, a regional planning and policy entity. Before taking that job, he spent 28 years in various roles wit

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